Shut Up!

The "Whatevah" handout that we received in class left out the latest flip on the word, which it whatev. Come on, if you're going to say it, at least finish the damn word!

Anyways (I know, right)... Phrases that I hate, hmm this one shouldn't be too hard.

I dated a boy that would tell me "do what you do." DUH! Needlest to say, that ended quickly. Next!

I like my friends, but I hate listening to their stories, especially if they're a bad storytellyer. I was listening to my friend blab to me about the endless dramatic going-ons in her life and here is what it sounded like, I will let you be the judge of when it gets annoying. "So then I called him back and he hung up on me and I called him back again and then he finally stayed on the phone long enough for me to say what I wanted to say and then he was like yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah..." You know which part irks me? The yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah part. Yes, she really said that, it wasn't me improvising to make her story shorter. I stayed on the phone this long to listen to your pointless story, at least let your story climax, entertain me! Right?

Though this one doesn't bother me when I hear people say it, I did find that it is a phrase often used. It's so simple and who would have thought, but "in the middle" is a phrase that I find myself and others saying constantly on a daily basis. It all started when I was trying to open my boyfriend's lock on his door, and the only way to do it was to slide the flap perfectly "in the middle", I couldn't do it and in his frustruation with me he yelled at me! He shouted "in the middle!" So after years of me making fun of him for it, it kind of caught on and we tally eachother with how many times we hear the phrase.

A Few Tips For Greener Computing

The more I blog about going green, the more I begin to notice my own bad habits that are not-so-green themselves. Blogging itself is done on the computer, which in our day and age seems like a necessity (the computer, not the blog). So since we are all oh so dependent on our Mac, here are a few things you can do to save a little energy.

Shut down your computer when you’re not using it! If that is asking too much then at least turn off your monitor when it’s not in use.

Don’t just use a screen saver, really turn the monitor off! Though it is called a screen saver, it is really still a power-user. Screen savers actually use a ton of energy!

Most computers now-a-days come with their own power saving features, utilize them.

Do you have a laptop? Well when you’re not using or charging it, don’t leave it plugged in. Even though your computer is idle, the plug socket isn’t. Unplug it!

If you don’t use it anymore, recycle it. Not just computers, but anything such as computers, ipods, and phone. Apple has a recycling program that even offers incentives when recycling an old computer to buy a new one. Interested? Take a peek!

Pumpkins

As the fall holidays, or fallidays, are fast approaching I thought I would offer a few ways to get the MOST use out of our favorite fall item... pumpkins.

Check out a local farm, because we love local, remember? For me, it would be Trax Farms! Their produce is right from their own fields, so local vendors usually offer more of a quality selection. Now we have the task of choosing a single pumpkin. Has to be a good color, no bruises, stem intact, nice shape, you get the idea! Now our options... We can most certainly carve it, bake with it, especially pumpkin pie, add salt and bake some pumpkin seeds, use the scraps in our compost piles (I live in the city so I don't have one, but I would just make sure to bake an extra large pumpkin pie so there were no scraps).

Here are a few great ideas on decorating, and getting the most out of your pumpkins. From sconces, to pancakes, to stew, this website offers many different ways to utilize your pumpkin this season. Take a look!

Has anyone carved pumpkins yet? Did you take pictures? Send them to me. I'll be sure to post!

A Few Tips To Celebrate Hallowgreen

Here are a few tips that may help you help your holiday, by making it greener instead of orange and black!

Make your own Halloween costume! I think homemade costumes are the best! Sorry cute sailor girl, my cavewoman costume is much better. Besides, what is in those plastic costumes anyways? If anyone would like to share their halloween costume, ideas, or stories please share!

Are you having a halloween party? Well, go to the local farmers' market to get some great decorations that are biodegradable, festive, and still support smaller local distributors.

Bob for apples! Remember that? Or atleast recylcle all of those alluminum Milwaukee's Best Beast Light cans, or those glass Mad Dog 20/20. I know, classy.

Organic, natural candies are delicious! Trust me.

If you're crafty, or if you're just interested, visit this site to discover fun ways to decorate with recycled items like; platic water bottles, pop cans, wheat, oranges, pinecones, scraps, marshmellows, popcorn, and old greeting cards. I appreciate this site because I am a craftaholic, but I can promise that you'll learn something new if you decide to check it out.

Our Lands are Full

Whether we are putting it out on the sidewalk once a week, walking it to the dumpster outside of Westmoreland Hall, or cleaning it up after raccoons tear through it and then taking it back out to the sidewalk, we all are guilty of contributing our garbage and waste to landfills. With the daily grind of life, we hardly think about where our trash is going, or what is being done with it. Well, it's filling up landfills (duh) and may be causing environmental problems.

I included this video, first because I don't think that the average college student youtubes landfills, and also to show the anatomy of a landfill, how it processes garbage, and the effects and outcome of building a landfill. Our trash is piling up, here's what is going on...

Atmospheric Emissions- Landfill gasses enter the atmosphere, effecting our ozone.

Water Emissions- Rainwater falls on the landfill and allows toxic chemicals to wash into water courses such as ditches nearby, or rivers and streams that are further away.

Landfill Fires, Decomposition, and Leakage are other problems that landfills face. So how do we resolve these issues? Well, we can begin by recycling! Recycling will reduce the amount of greenhouse gas that landfills let out into the atmosphere. I'm sure that everything I am writing, you've already learned in 4th grade science class. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... Remember? It's simple and it will save our planet, so let's start!

Nabisco goes green!

While browsing the snack section of a local supermarket I discovered that I am not the only person who wants to save the environment, one cookiebox at a time. The National Biscuit Company does!

Nabisco, but how?

This Oreo Cakesters box is made from 100% recycled paperboard, and is also 12% smaller than its previous box. Don't worry kids, "The 12 Soft, Moist, Delicious Cakes Are Exactly The Same!"

Okay Nabisco, great, but does this really make a difference?

Yes! The 100% Recycled Paperboard website explains what paperboard is, how is it used, converted, broken down, how many trees and landfills we save by using it, and who uses it. If you don't feel like taking a look at the site, I'll highlight the facts...

First, there are 2 different types of paperboard; coated recycled paperboard (CRB) and uncoated recycled paperboard (URB). Our Cakesters box is an example of CRB. URB would be more like your $180.00 biology book.

-"North America recycles approximately 3.1 million tons of recovered fiber into CRB every year, with an additional 4.5 million tons of recovered fiber recycled into URB."

-"For every ton of virgin paperboard that is converted to CRB/URB, one ton of recovered fiber is kept out of municipal landfills. This, in turn, reduces the amount of methane created in the landfill and further decreases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. "

-"14 Fourteen trees are saved for every converted ton."

-"By converting 250 tons of virgin paperboard to CRB, enough energy is saved to heat someone’s home for an entire year."

-"By converting 250 tons of virgin paperboard to 250 tons of CRB, the greenhouse gases that are prevented are equal to removing 54 cars from the road each year. "

-"By converting 250 tons of virgin paperboard to 250 tons of CRB, the waste water that is not produced each year is the equivalent to the amount of water in 7 seven Olympic-sized swimming pools."

-"By converting 250 tons of virgin paperboard to 250 tons of CRB, four hundred thousand pounds less solid waste is produced - enough to fill 15 garbage trucks each year."

Now I could copy and paste all night, but I feel that this is good enough evidence that a trend of eco-friendly packaging is emerging. I was surprised to discover how many companies are already using this type of packaging. Frito, General Mills, Giant Eagle, Gillette, Hewlett-Packard, Kelloggs, Kraft, Nordstrom, Rubbermaid, Russell Stover, and Xerox were just a few that I recognized on the, what seems like, endless list of companies that use recycled paperboard. Here's the list, do any companies look familiar to you?

Bamboo

Did you know that bamboo is an eco-friendly plant? In some, more tropical, parts of the world bamboo can even grow up to 1 meter/day. So, from flooring, to fencing, to furniture, bamboo is the greenest product on the market right now. I was bamboozled to discover just how many products are made from bamboo. If you're interested, check this out! Do you have any bamboo products in your home? I have to admit, even though I am endorsing bamboo, the only product that I do have is my little stick of bamboo in a vase with rocks, accompanied by it's three measely little leaves. Maybe one day I'll upgrade to bamboo floors, when I'm paying my own mortgage and not living with mom.

Taking Your First Steps

Don't really know how to go green? Well I call offer you a few easy changes that anyone can make. Here are some simple solutions that save energy, and may even save you a buck or two.

10. Unplug anything that glows, When you're not using it of coarse!
9. Recycle (duh) your electronics.
8. Your laptop emits far less energy then your desktop, so use that instead!
7. Buy produce from local farmers. (Baconpants even told us to!)
6. Spend less time mowing your lawn, let the grass grow a little. When you decide to mow the lawn, use a hand-powered lawn mower. No gas emissions and exercise!
5. Use Energy Effiicient appliances, like showerheads, washers, and dryers.
4. Speaking of Energy Efficient appliances, be efficient when using appliances.
3. Go to this site and see what bugs are good to have around!
2. Print on BOTH sides of the paper, save trees.
1. Drive less, ride a bike, break out your skates, carpool, take an E85 bus, protect our ozone!